Join Craig Morris, a British Canoe Slalom coach, as he shares his journey from athlete to coach. Explore his coaching philosophy evolution towards a constraints-led approach, emphasizing athlete involvement, game design, and performance analysis. Discover the challenges faced and the importance of evolving coaching practices and building relationships with athletes. Dive into the publication of an academic paper on skill training periodization for the Olympics, highlighting collaboration between academia and practitioners.
Craig transitioned from athlete to coach driven by passion for learning and people.
Evolution in coaching philosophy from aesthetics to relationships and performance focus.
Importance of constraints-led coaching emphasized, challenging prescribed solutions for athlete autonomy.
Deep dives
Transition to Coaching from Canoe Slalom Paddling
Craig Morris, a former canoe slalom paddler turned coach, shares his journey from starting in the sport at a young age to transitioning into coaching. His passion for white water took him around the UK and the world, offering an escape from urban life. Coaching became a natural progression driven by his fascination with people and learning.
Evolution of Coaching Practice
Craig discusses his evolution as a coach, moving from an aesthetic-focused coaching approach to one centered on relationships and technique. Initially driven by a vision of how canoe slalom should look, he later shifted towards a more performance-oriented mindset. His coaching philosophy expanded to include a more people-centered, adaptive approach, emphasizing the importance of connecting with athletes.
Exploration of Constraints-Led Approaches
Craig reflects on the shift towards constraints-led coaching, triggered by athlete feedback and introspection. Initially struggling with integrating constraints effectively into his coaching practice, he highlights the importance of language and cultivating an athlete-centered approach. This journey involved challenges with adapting to non-linear pedagogy and designing practices that align with the sport's demands, emphasizing the evolution from a prescriptive to a collaborative coaching style.
Prescription of Solutions through Constraints
Ian and Craig delve into the challenges of over-constraining athletes by prescribing solutions rather than facilitating exploration. Craig acknowledges his past tendency to narrow possibilities based on his preconceived ideas, limiting athletes' autonomy. The discussion centers on the importance of creating open-ended practices that encourage self-discovery and align with the principles of effective learning design.
Importance of Understanding Athletes' Constraints
Understanding when to utilize constraints and how they can impact an athlete's performance is crucial. Skillful play involves creating affordances to entice opponents into specific actions, like leaving gaps as bait. By dissolving affordances quickly, players can outwit opponents. Offering varied scoring opportunities challenges opponents' strategies, leading to adaptations in gameplay.
Integration of Sports Science Support in Athletic Program
Integrating sports science support in athletic programs requires a transdisciplinary approach that acknowledges each member's expertise. Coordinating with athletes and performance teams in a non-hierarchical manner fosters collaboration and mutual learning. Embracing uncertainty and allowing athletes to influence data interpretation enhances performance analysis. Triangulating qualitative perceptions with performance analytics data offers a holistic view for improving coaching practices.
This week we are joined by Craig Morris, who has been a British Canoe Slalom performance coach for the past 20 years.
Craig started his career as a pathway development lead in the Olympic sport of Canoe Slalom, he found a home in coaching at the age of 23. The process of co-creation in the pursuit of growth and performance enthralled and drove him to work tirelessly to learn more of himself, others and the concept of learning itself.
Many years later as personal coach to multiple Olympic, World and European medal winning individuals his adventure horizons continue to expand. The passion to carry his learning as a leader and coach in Olympic Sport guides him into new environments with new challenges including individual and team consultancy, executive coaching and mentoring and much more.
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